The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-10-01
A SUBSTITUTE FOR STEAM.
Weltner's View Power Producer. He
Claims to Have Solved the Perpet-
ual Motion Problem by Making
a Machine Which viii Run
on Wind.
cOnaellsv,lIe Courier.

ConaellsyIlle Courier
Lebbeus G. Weltner, of Uniontown,
the perpetual motion crank, has
come to the front again with would
be perpetual motion machine and
generator of power that threatens to
knock Kelley and his wonderful mo-
tor out in a very few rounds. just
one year ago he developed a eontriv-
anee which he called the perpetual
lever motion, a wonderful piece OF
mechanism made up of springs.
wheels and shafts. The power was
to be applied by series of spiral
springs. But it failed to generate
the necessary power and Weltner is
not yet a millionaire. Not at all
cast down with the failure of his
previous efforts he has continued to
work on this problem and on Mon
day he called on o. ID. Lewis, the
Pittsburg patent attorney, with a
roll of mechanical drawings under
his arm and a working model of one
of the most ingeniously arranged
contrivances that has turned up for
some time. The necessary papers
were made out for an application foi
a patent, and Weltner is convinced
that it will bring about a complete
revolution in the methods of produc-
ing and applying power, among 9th.
er things wiping out the use of steam
in many departments. The new in
vention is called the pneumatic
generator of motive power" Ac-
cording to the drawings and the
model it consists of series of tanks
enclosed within one another.
HOW IT WORKS.
In each of these tanks there ex-
tends an air pump, and by this
means 10. pounds of air pressure is
pumped into the first tank, &c
pounds in the next, 60 pounds in the
next. then 120 pounds, 240 pounds
and 4S0 pounds. On the other side
of the machine there is another series
of pumps. the pistons of which work
in cylinders of different areas, run.
ming down from one inch to one thir
ty-second of an inch. These are all
connected together and operated by
cylinder located overhead for tina,
purpose. On the largest cylinder
there is a valve that opens to the
air and forces it into the tank at II
pounds pressure, the pistons forcing
in the air on raising up. Wher
they come down the valves are clos
ed automatically, and in this way
the air pressure is doubled over anC
over again, until an enormous power
or pressure is generated. 1t is hel(
that small generator, say abou-
five feet square, would be all that il
necessary to provide one of the larg
est towboats that runs on the Ohit
river with the requisite power to TOW
several acres of coal. He also say.
that it would bring about
AN ENORMOUS SAVING
to ocean steamers, as no coal would
be required, and there would be al
immense amount of storage room
gained on the vessels that is nov
utilized for carrying coal. The ex
pense of constructing the generators
is comparatively small, and thei
operation is nothing to cause ex
pense, and when the motor is started
it will run as long as required will
little or no attention at all Welt
ner says that he has been expert
menting with the motor for Is day.
past and that it was within the pas
few months that he was enabled t,
get it to work satisfactorily, and h,
is now convinced that there is mil
lions in it for him. Within few
days he proposes to build one of thu
motors on an extended scale, on,
capable of generating at least 2,00(
pounds pressure and that he viii
give a public exhibition of its tire
mendous force, by running some o
the largest engines. He feels Ger
tain that a motor that would tax,
up no more space than that occupied
by an ordinary dining table woult
be more than sufficient to furnish
all the power required to operate thu
most powerful engines.